Features of intercultural communication. Features of intercultural communication: problems and prospects Features of interpersonal communication in intercultural communication

The concept of intercultural communication, its varieties. Accounting for intercultural features at the level of verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as at the level of customs and traditions.

The concept of business culture. Classification of models of business cultures (Hofstede, Hall).

Intercultural communication- interaction of representatives of different cultures.

It is believed that this concept was introduced in the 1950s by the American cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall.

Sociologists distinguish several types:

Acculturation (the mutual influence of cultures, during which, in whole or in part, one culture perceives the traditions and norms of another culture).

Cultural expansion (spread of culture beyond the boundaries of one's residence).

Cultural diffusion (interpenetration of cultures with the exchange of traditions and norms).

Cultural conflict (clash of subjects of cultures).

Considered in three aspects:

Verbal

Non-verbal

Norms, traditions

Verbal aspect

Linguists - Sapir, Whorf developed the hypothesis of linguistic relativity (people who speak different languages ​​​​think differently).

Necessary:

Language proficiency

Build simple sentences (if you don't know the language)

Avoid using proverbs, sayings of your people

Carefully use your national humor

Every culture has its coded phrases

Non-verbal aspect

Facial expression rules:

Exaggeration of feelings is characteristic of many peoples

Deintensification (restrained expression of emotions). Scandinavia, Japan.

Contextual ban on the expression of emotions (ex: boys do not cry)

Disguising one emotion with another (Ex: the Japanese smile when they are angry).

Haptics: distant; contact

The role of non-verbal communication in intercultural communication:

1. The same gesture can have completely different meanings in different cultures.

2. A gesture may mean nothing and make no sense to the person who sees it.

3. The gesture has practically the same meaning in different cultures, and its interpretation rarely causes problems in intercultural communication.

Norms, customs, traditions. When visiting other countries on a business trip, one should take into account their cultural characteristics. Clothing standards. Traditional holidays, rest time, attitude towards gifts, etc.

Time. If Western culture clearly measures time and being late, for example, is considered a fault, then among the Arabs, in Latin America and in some Asian countries, being late will not surprise anyone. Moreover, if you want to be dealt with seriously enough, you need to spend some time on random (ritual) conversations. Not only that, you shouldn't be hasty, as there may be a cultural conflict: "Arabs see drinking coffee and talking as 'doing something', while Americans see it as a waste of time." Accordingly, the Arabs view exact dates as a personal insult. Or the fiops look at what is being done for a long time as a very prestigious business: the longer, the better, respectively.

Space. Hispanic and European in a normal setting talk at different distances. Now try putting them side by side. As the Latin American tries to be at his usual distance, the European may have a feeling of intrusion into his personal space.

Accordingly, different cultures use different non-verbal communication. For example, within the "black" culture of America, it is considered rude to look a teacher straight in the eye. There are also various options for showing resentment: a special gait, a special eye movement. At the same time, a person of a different culture will not even notice it.

Different views among different peoples and on hierarchical relationships. China and Japan have a lot of respect for them, while the Americans strive to demonstrate equality. By the way, American regulations even require that Americans take pictures with Asians only while sitting, so that their dominance in height is not visible.

Western businessmen try to conduct their negotiations in confidential atmosphere, in a personal meeting. In Arab culture, there are other people in the room, and when you ask to speak in a different setting, an Arab will only bring his head closer to you. Contradictions of such different views can easily lead to conflict.

Different cultures have different rules for exchanging information. A representative of an oriental culture, which is more closed, can take a long time to make a decision, as, for example, the Japanese or Chinese do. The Japanese, by the way, have another curious feature that often misleads many businessmen, they basically cannot say categorically "no".

business culture is associated with a broad conceptual base, including people's beliefs, their relationships with each other and with the external environment. It rests on the psychology of the formation of practical experience, representing the value orientations of this experience.

Business culture is designed to reflect the company's attitude towards legality, personality, product quality, finance and production obligations, openness and reliability of business information.

This should be embodied in a set of rules, traditions, rituals and symbols that are constantly supplemented and improved.

Business culture is influenced by national culture

It is often the features and characteristics of the national culture that provide the key to understanding the characteristics of certain elements of business culture that distinguish the activities of certain companies.

Hofstede did research on different cultures in the 50s.

Options:

power distance - the level of inequality, which in a given society is perceived as the norm

high

For low - democratic style of management. Adults and children - mutual respect and equality. The ideal leader is a competent democrat. Privileges are role-based.

femininity - masculinity.

Masculinity (masculinity) is understood as a commitment to material success, records, perseverance in achieving goals, heroism.

Priority work, material success

At school, focus on the best

In public life - for competitiveness, forceful methods of solving problems

Femininity (femininity) implies an orientation towards building even relationships, a tendency to compromise, the desire for harmony and comfort in life.

Home and family values ​​are important

Middle school orientation

In public life - on the ability to reach consensus

degree of uncertainty:

high

Uncertainty avoidance - the degree of uncertainty that a given society perceives as normal

Low cultures tend to take calculated risk. Framework agreements are typical (everything that is not prohibited is allowed). USA, UK, Scandinavian countries.

High - anxious about uncertainty. Emotional willingness to take risks. Characterized by the development of detailed regulations, instructions, rules, a low level of mobility. Germany, Russia (partially)

The essential advantage of the Hofstede model is that the poles of each characteristic are described in detail, and the characteristics themselves are expressed in numerical terms. This makes it possible to establish the degree of difference between the business cultures of countries and regions, to predict the areas of possible problems in the interaction of businessmen or managers of these countries.

E. Hall distinguished types of crops:

+ high-context. The social context plays an important role. A person is evaluated depending on external factors (origin, religion, education, race, etc.). Coded language is used. The presence of double behavioral standards is characteristic. Countries: Russia, India, countries of Southeast Asia, Southern Europe, Latin America.

+ low context. A person is judged not by origin, but by his social qualities. The social context plays a secondary role. Countries: USA, Holland, Scandinavian countries.

In the last decade, in connection with the expansion of Russia's international relations with other countries, issues of intercultural communication have become of particular theoretical and practical interest. International relations are not limited to the discussion of various issues and problems at a high governmental and diplomatic level, but are increasingly becoming part of people's daily lives. Therefore, in our time, mastering the art of intercultural communication is becoming increasingly relevant and significant.

The concept of "intercultural communication" is derived from the concepts of "culture" and "communication". In order to define what "intercultural communication" is, let's find out what culture is. The term culture is one of the most ambiguous, and this is explained by the fact that culture itself is an extremely complex and multifaceted phenomenon that expresses all aspects of human existence. In this interpretation, culture appears as an integrity that differs from others due to religious, national-state boundaries or a set of ethnic characteristics. Such an understanding of culture is also the most functional in relation to the topic under consideration - intercultural communication.

Intercultural communication is characterized by the fact that when representatives of different cultures meet, each of them acts in accordance with their own cultural norms. The classical definition is given in the book by E.M. Vereshchagin and V.G. Kostomarov "Language and Culture", where intercultural communication is understood as an adequate mutual understanding of two participants in a communicative act belonging to different national cultures.

The problem of intercultural communication is not reduced solely to the language problem. Knowledge of the language of a native speaker of a different culture is necessary, but not yet sufficient for an adequate mutual understanding of the participants in a communicative act. Moreover, intercultural communication implies the existence of not only differences between two different languages, but also differences in the use of one language. Thus, representatives of the English, French and German-speaking countries, despite the common language, will not necessarily belong to the same culture. In this regard, we can talk about communication, for example, between the Americans and the British, the French and the Walloons, the inhabitants of the "old" and "new Lands" in Germany.

The life activity and relationships of people are determined by the norms existing in a particular culture that regulate broad areas of human thinking and behavior and have a great influence on the nature of perception, evaluation and interpersonal relationships. Education and upbringing, historical memory, traditions and customs, the rules dictated by society, the very language in which people communicate, develop an orientation system that helps them cope with various everyday situations and problems in their own way.

However, a single culture is not a homogeneous structure. There are group deviations from the generally accepted standards of thinking and behavior in a particular culture. If such deviations vary within acceptable limits, then they coexist in a given culture. In this case, one speaks of the existence of subcultures within one culture (for example, youth subcultures). For all their differences, subcultures have the same basis for the worldview, values, norms and patterns of behavior that indicate their belonging to a particular culture. This basis arises from the socio-cultural experience that determines what is considered necessary, normal, reasonable and acceptable in a given situation. Deviations that go beyond acceptable limits are most often rejected within the culture.

Any person sees the world in a certain cultural framework. But these cultural frameworks (norms), as a rule, are not recognized by the individual, because most often they are so inherent in him that they form part of his personality. Awareness of the norms of behavior and thinking of one's own culture is possible only when there are contacts with people who, in their behavior, are guided by other cultural norms. People, to one degree or another, expand the boundaries of their cultural horizon by visiting other countries, learning foreign languages, reading foreign literature, communicating with foreigners.

However, such interaction can cause discomfort or even lead to conflicts, often difficult to explain. The mechanisms of behavior and evaluation that worked as long as communication was carried out within the same culture begin to fail, communication becomes difficult. This causes uncertainty, loss of internal stability, incorrect interpretations of the partner's behavior, misunderstanding of each other. Therefore, if until now someone did not notice and was not aware of the peculiarities of their behavior, due to their cultural context, now these subconscious models of perception, emotional reactions, thinking, behavior and assessments are becoming more obvious and subject to reflection, accounting and correction in relation to the partner. on communication.

The behavior of people belonging to other cultures is not at all unpredictable, it can be studied and predicted, but it requires special educational programs aimed at preparing for intercultural communication. The study of other cultures, their characteristics, the laws of their functioning and development enriches a person, transforms his attitude to the world and other people, and can radically change his attitude to life situations.

At present, the expansion of communication in the field of culture and politics, education and science, sports and tourism, as well as globalization and intensive migration in the world caused by these connections, determine the problems of intercultural communication as relevant, deserving separate theoretical and practical consideration.

Thanks to its enormous potential, culture is able to unite people of different nationalities and professions, linguistic and religious communities, and age categories who can build their communication solely on the basis of mutual understanding.

In the field of international relations, business and politics, issues of intercultural communication acquire a professional character.

International educational and scientific relations are today the main forms of intercultural communication, they can also be classified as the most promising, since students and scientists are characterized by academic mobility (internships, exchange), a steady desire to acquire new knowledge.

Sport as an international phenomenon with deep historical roots, as well as international tourism are forms of intercultural communication.

Intercultural communication (IC) is communication between representatives of different cultures; “... adequate mutual understanding of two participants in a communicative act belonging to different national cultures. The fact is that, even if they speak the same language, people cannot always correctly understand each other, and the reason is often precisely the divergence of cultures.

Following E. M. Vereshchagin and V. G. Kostomarov, IC researchers believe that a good knowledge of a foreign language is not enough for effective communication with native speakers. Each nation has its own traditions of communication, which are expressed

in behavior, gestures, facial expressions, way of thinking, etc. Moreover, the authors distinguish six types of reaction to another culture and its representatives.

The most important conditions for full-fledged intercultural communication are knowledge and understanding of the peculiarities of one's national culture, as well as respect for the cultural values ​​of other peoples with whose representatives we interact, restraint in assessments, appropriate behavior and balanced decisions made in the MC.

The American researcher Richard D. Lewis conventionally divides the cultures of the world in terms of communication into three types: monoactive, polyactive and reactive.

Table 4

A simple linear diagram of a communicative act in the process of communication includes such components as a message, a sender and a recipient of information. However, it is possible to illustrate the speech action in the course of intercultural communication by supplementing the sample with some other structural elements. The overall picture will look like this:

Scheme 1. Model of a communicative act in the process of intercultural communication

A native speaker of one language (A), an individual who plays a major role in the transmission of a language, a language tradition, according to Arutyunov, conveys a message, any information, thoughts, ideas to a native speaker of another language (B), who has his own linguistic foundations and experience, individual speech features. This idea is confirmed by O. A. Leontovich, who writes that behind each linguistic personality there is a national character (A1, B2), “the nature of self-identification of partners” in communication.

The national character as an element (variable) of the model of communication with intercultural specifics stands aside, has a latent, hidden image, and therefore requires a deep understanding of the process of its actualization so that there are no gaps, gaps that can lead to misunderstanding, failure in intercultural communication.

When determining the national character, they generalize the typical character traits of one people, a kind of set of universal universal human traits attributed to one people by other people.

The concept of "national character" first appeared in the travel literature in order to express the specifics of the way of life of a particular people. The motive of travel in literature is plot and genre-forming in the poems "Odyssey" by the ancient Greek poet Homer and "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol, in the novel "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift, etc.

The concept of "national character" is also considered in publicistic literature. Thus, Vokrug Sveta, one of the first magazines in Russia, founded in St. Petersburg in 1861, publishes news about historical events, stories about the fate of famous people, information about new scientific discoveries and technical achievements. However, in the first year of publication, nine articles were published in six issues of the magazine from January to November, which were devoted to the lifestyle and reality of a particular people and reflected the national character.

Today, Internet travel sites are not only interactive guides in the field of tourism, but also modern sources of information about the national character, as they continue the tradition of articles and essays about its features.

The analysis of journalistic literature also shows that the names of nationalities are followed by their geographical location: Great Britain, Mexico, Germany, America, etc., therefore, the study of the geographical features of national characters is an urgent topic and problem. Thus, there are studies by Y. Alik, R. McCray and others who make the assumption that the nature of a nation is largely determined by temperature, climate, as well as national wealth, values ​​and beliefs.

• Richard D. Lewis, the world's leading linguist and expert in cross-cultural studies.

The concept of intercultural communication, its varieties. Accounting for intercultural features at the level of verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as at the level of customs and traditions.

The concept of business culture. Classification of models of business cultures (Hofstede, Hall).

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION,communication, in the face of significant culturally determined differences in the communicative competence of its participants, that these differences significantly affect the success or failure of a communicative event. The term communicative competence refers to knowledge of the symbolic systems used in communication and the rules for their functioning, as well as principles of communicative interaction. Intercultural communication is characterized by the fact that it participants in direct contact use special language variants and discursive strategies that are different from those they use when communicating within the same culture. The often used term "cross-cultural communication" usually refers to the study of some particular phenomenon in two or more cultures and has the additional meaning of comparing the communicative competence of communicating members of different cultures.

Intercultural communication- communication between representatives of different human cultures (personal contacts between people, less often - mediated forms of communication (such as writing) and mass communication). Features of intercultural communication are studied at the interdisciplinary level and within the framework of such sciences as cultural studies, psychology, linguistics, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, each of which uses its own approaches to their study.

It is believed that this concept was introduced in the 1950s by the American cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall as part of the program he developed for the US State Department on the adaptation of American diplomats and businessmen in other countries ...

Initially, the so-called intercultural communication was used to describe intercultural communication. classic understanding culture like more or less a stable system of conscious and unconscious rules, norms, values, structures, artifacts -national or ethnic culture .

At present, the so-called. dynamic understanding of culture as a way of life and a system of behavior, norms, values, etc. of any social group (for example, urban culture, culture of generations, culture of the organization). Dynamic concept of culture does not imply a strict stability of the cultural system; to a certain extent, it can change and be modified depending on the social situation.

As a scientific discipline, intercultural communication is in its infancy and is distinguished by two characteristic features: applied character (the goal is to facilitate communication between representatives of different cultures, reduce conflict potential) and interdisciplinarity.

Research on intercultural communication has recently become increasingly important in connection with the processes globalization and intensive migration.

Types of communications:

1. By the number of participants and distant relations between them:

a. interpersonal (2 people, family) - the minimum number of participants, close relationships. The nature of development is the narrowing or expansion of the distance.

b. intergroup / intragroup - the distance is greater, as is the number of participants

c. professional (in business)

d. mass (through an intermediary - the media, television)

e. intercultural (between different cultures, includes all of the above)

2. With a functional approach:

a. informative

b. affective-evaluative (feelings, opinions)

c. recreational (information for recreation, in a playful way)

d. convincing (between people of different statuses, ideological attitudes)

e. ritual (various traditions, customs)

3. By language use:

a. verbal

b. non-verbal

3. Functions of non-verbal communication 1. non-verbal communication complements verbal 2. non-verbal communication contradicts verbal 3. non-verbal communication replaces verbal 4. non-verbal communication serves as a regulator of verbal

Non-verbal means of communication : 1. kinesics (facial expressions, gaze, gestures, posture) 2. prosodic (voice and intonation means) 3. takesika (touch) 4. sensory (sensory perception, manifestation of sensations) 5. proxemics (spatial structure of communication) 6. chronemics ( temporal structure of communication)

Basic concepts

Japanese scientist Matsumoto: “In the field of social psychology and communication, the term interpersonal communication usually refers to communication that occurs between people who come from the same cultural environment; in this sense it is synonymous with the term intracultural communication. A.P. Sadokhin’s definition of intercultural communication: “Intercultural communication is a set of various forms of relations and communication between individuals and groups belonging to different cultures.” The term culture is of Latin origin and it appeared in the era of Roman antiquity. This word comes from the verb "solere", which meant "cultivation", "processing, care". In this sense, it was used by the Roman politician Mark Porcius Cato (234-149 BC), who wrote the treatise De agri cultura. The starting point in the formation of scientific ideas about culture is considered to be the treatise "Tusculan Conversations" by the Roman orator and philosopher Mark Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), who used this agronomic term metaphorically, i.e. in a different, figurative sense.

Greetings in a number of countries have a national coloring. Handshakes are the main form of greeting. But in some countries it is not customary to shake hands with women, so wait until the woman herself extends her hand to you. Kisses on the cheek are common in France and the Mediterranean countries, and hugs are common in Latin America. Two palms pressed to each other in front of the chest is an Indian national greeting.

About the attitude towards people of a different age. Everywhere you need to show respect for elders. They should be the first ones to start the conversation. When older people enter the room, stand up.

A general advice when accepting unfamiliar food is to eat what is offered to you and don't ask what it is. Cut your portion into small pieces - so it will easily get into your stomach.

In many countries, business is influenced by religion - on the daily routine and working months and days. Learn more about the religion of a given country, but do not enter into discussions on such topics. Know and remember that Buddhist images are sacred: you can not step on the threshold in Thailand - good spirits live under it; never distract a person facing Mecca; without permission, do not take pictures or touch religious attributes with your hands.

Everywhere you must have a business card with you, which indicates: the name of your organization, your position, titles. Abbreviations should not be used. In Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East, always hold out your business card with your right hand. In Japan, it is served with two hands, with the correct side towards the partner.

Beware of using familiar gestures, say `V` (sign of victory). In other countries, they may have a completely different, not always decent, meaning.

The strong features of the German national character are well known: diligence, diligence, punctuality, rationality, frugality, organization, pedantry, seriousness, prudence, striving for orderliness.

Term "intercultural communication» implies interaction between representatives of different ages, nationalities, cultures, religions, etc. This is the process of exchanging the cultural characteristics of different nationalities through verbal and non-verbal language.

Modelbusiness cultureproposedG. Hofsteed , includes the following indicators:

power distance(low to high) - the degree to which people who do not have power or have little power agree that power in society is distributed unevenly;

collectivism - individualism. Individualism characterizes a society in which the connection between individuals is insignificant: it is assumed that in the first place everyone takes care of himself and his family; collectivism characterizes a society in which people from birth grow and develop in strong, close-knit groups; these groups care for and protect "their own" throughout their lives in exchange for unconditional loyalty;

femininity - masculinity. Masculinity is a characteristic feature of a society in which the gender roles of men and women are clearly separated, that is, men are tough, aggressive, focused on material success and victory in the external environment, and women are modest, gentle and focused on ensuring the quality of life and moral comfort in the family; femininity is a characteristic feature of a society in which the difference in gender roles is not significant, men and women can be equally focused on material success and on ensuring the quality of life;

uncertainty avoidance (from weak to strong) - the degree of discomfort, anxiety, fear experienced by people belonging to a given society in front of unknown or uncertain circumstances.

The essential advantage of the Hofsteed model is that the poles of each characteristic are described in detail, and the characteristics themselves are expressed in numerical terms. This makes it possible to establish the degree of difference between the business cultures of countries and regions, to predict the areas of possible problems in the interaction of businessmen or managers of these countries.

E. Hall distinguishes, in turn, the following cultures:

1)))monochronous(cultures of the USA and the countries of Northern Europe.). In each certain period of time, people are busy with one thing, they strictly follow plans and schedules, agreements in order to avoid wasting time. Punctuality is important to them. it low context cultures: whenever people enter into communication, they need detailed information about everything that is happening. itSocieties where there are practically no informal information networks. These cultures are less homogeneous, interpersonal contacts are strictly separated in them, representatives of these cultures do not mix personal relationships with work and other aspects of everyday life..

These are cultures in which most information is contained in words, people openly express their desires and intentions, not assuming that this can be understood from the situation of communication. At the same time, the greatest importance is attached to speech, as well as the discussion of details.

2))) polychronic(Countries of Southern Europe, Latin America, Middle East). People do several things at the same time, and relationships between people are more important for them than plans and schedules. These are high-contextual cultures (they change little over time, therefore, when interacting with the outside world, the same stimulus causes the same reaction. These are cultures in which much is determined by the hierarchy and status, the external Sid of the premises, their location and placement. In such cultures use a lot of hints, hidden meanings, figurative expressions, etc.

The role of non-verbal communication in intercultural communication:

1. The same gesture can have completely different meanings in different cultures.

2. A gesture may mean nothing and make no sense to the person who sees it.

3. The gesture has practically the same meaning in different cultures, and its interpretation rarely causes problems in intercultural communication.

If Western culture clearly measures time and being late, for example, is considered a fault (remember "Accuracy is the courtesy of kings"), then among the Arabs, in Latin America and in some Asian countries, being late will not surprise anyone. Moreover, if you want to be dealt with seriously enough, you need to spend some time on random (ritual) conversations. Not only that, you shouldn't be hasty, as a cultural conflict may arise: "Arabs see drinking coffee and talking as 'doing something', while Americans see it as a waste of time." Accordingly, the Arabs view exact dates as a personal insult. Or the fiops look at what is being done for a long time as a very prestigious business: the longer, the better, respectively.

Interest in intercultural communication arose after the Second World War, when projects were being developed in the United States to help developing countries. The main attention of the researchers was focused on the development of skills and abilities of intercultural communication, taking into account the cultural characteristics of countries.

The date of birth of intercultural communication as an academic discipline is considered to be 1954. This year, the book by E. Hall and D. Tragepa "Culture as Communication: Model and Analysis" was published, in which the authors for the first time proposed for wide use the term "intercultural communication", reflecting, in their opinion, a special area of ​​human relations. Later, the main provisions and ideas of intercultural communication were developed in more detail in the famous work of E. Hall "Silent Language" (1959). E. Hall develops ideas about the relationship between culture and communication and for the first time brings the problem of intercultural communication not only to the level of scientific research, but also to an independent academic discipline. Further development of the theoretical foundations of intercultural communication was continued by J. Condon and Y. Fati in the work "Introduction to Intercultural Communication". In Europe, the formation of intercultural communication as an academic discipline occurred later and was associated with the creation of the European Union, which opened the borders for the free movement of people, capital and goods. Practice has raised the problem of mutual communication of carriers of different cultures. Most specialists dealing with this problem believe that it is possible to talk about intercultural communication (interaction) only if people represent different cultures and are aware of everything that does not belong to their culture as someone else's. Relations are intercultural if their participants do not resort to their own traditions, customs, ideas and ways of behaving, but get acquainted with other people's rules and norms of everyday communication. At the same time, both characteristic and unfamiliar properties are constantly revealed, both identity and dissent, both accepted and new in relationships, ideas and feelings that arise in people.

The rapid development of intercultural communication takes place in various spheres of human life: in politics, in informal contacts, in interpersonal communication of people in everyday life, family, tourism, sports, military cooperation, etc. The social, political and economic changes that have taken place in recent years on a global scale have led to an unprecedented migration of peoples, their resettlement, mixing and collision. As a result of these processes, more and more people are crossing the cultural barriers that used to separate them. New cultural phenomena are being formed, the boundaries between one's own and another's are being erased. The resulting changes cover almost all forms of human life.

In Russia, the ideas of intercultural communication began to develop successfully in the mid-90s. In domestic studies of intercultural communication, Western scientific traditions are mainly preserved in approaches to this complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Their main feature is aspectualization. They reflect the following research aspects: sociological (social, ethnic and other factors in intercultural communication); linguistic (verbal and non-verbal means of communication, language styles, ways to improve the effectiveness of intercultural communication); psychological (cognitive and emotional components of intercultural communication, value orientations and motivations); communicative.

Our country is multinational. More than a hundred ethnic groups and many other cultural groups live in Russia, adhering to various religions, cultural traditions and customs. Over the past decades, Russia has been actively following the path of mutually beneficial communication and cooperation both in domestic and foreign policy. The problems of intercultural communication turn out to be no less important, and sometimes even more intense, than political and economic ones. Intercultural communication is an important factor in the regulation of the internal life of the country and relations between countries.

Russia's integration into European and global processes has led to the problem of mastering the cultural characteristics of other countries. Entry into a common space is impossible without mastering its cultural context. Awareness of belonging to a single world space requires the achievement of understanding between the bearers of different cultures.

Practice shows that many of our compatriots were not ready for intercultural contacts, they are poorly aware of their own and others' national and cultural characteristics. "Every person knows that he needs to do not what separates him from people, but what connects him with them." L.N. Tolstoy did not expect that his thought would be very relevant at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. In the materials of the European Cultural Convention, attention is drawn to the need to develop interaction through a dialogue of cultures that promotes the establishment of contacts, awareness of the universal "we" and the desire to understand each other. The implementation of intercultural communication brings hope for the enrichment of national cultures, while not displacing or forgetting their own cultural origins.